Divorce refers to the dissolution of a marriage as provided by family law. It is usually an upsetting event because it creates disappointment, and might evoke feelings of anger and guilt. Moreover, there are emotional, parental, and legal challenges that complicate the process. Divorce is a tough process because of the time, energy, and changes in responsibilities involved. Children are the main victims because in many cases, they lack the understanding to comprehend why their parents’ separation is necessary. Couples deal with divorce in different ways. Some retain a cordial relationship for the sake of the children, to ensure that they do not get emotionally scarred. On the contrary, others separate and spend much money and time in court battling over custody of the children. Divorce is beneficial to children who live in dysfunctional families where they are exposed to domestic violence. However, it has a negative impact on children because it destabilizes their psychological wellbeing, increases the risk of delinquency, and causes trauma due to loss and the struggle of adjusting.
One of the main effects of divorce on children is the psychological trauma associated with living in a broken family. One of the major challenges of divorcing is ensuring that the children are not affected so that their mental and psychological wellbeing remains intact (Espejo 43). While some parents forego the divorce for the sake of their children, others agree that breaking-up is the best option both for themselves and the children. The main worries that parents harbor include the uncertainty of custody arrangements and the potential effect of the break-up on children (Espejo 43). Divorce is a stressful event, especially for children as it affects their psychological and mental wellbeing negatively.
Divorce creates emotional turmoil for children, which can be both confusing and frustrating at the time. Young children struggle to comprehend why they have to switch between two homes and why their parents do not live together anymore. The realization that their parents stopped loving each other grips them, and they start developing the belief that their parents’ love for them could one day end too (D’Onofrio and Emery 100). Grade school children struggle with the emotions of guilt, as they view the divorce as their fault. The most common assumption is that their misbehavior or inappropriate actions are the cause of the divorce. Carrying this type of guilt to adulthood is detrimental to the psychological health of children (D’Onofrio and Emery 100). Teenagers deal with divorce differently as anger and blame emerge. They could either blame one of the parents for initiating the separation or they could dislike both for the disruption that takes place in their family.
Studies have shown that children from broken families struggle with mental health, self-esteem, and the creation of interpersonal relationships. The situation is worse in high-conflict divorces that involve verbal and physical altercations. Children that suffer from low self-esteem find it hard to adjust living with a single parent, changing schools and homes, and making new friends (D’Onofrio and Emery 100). These events cause stress and the children might be unable to handle the loss of the status quo. The trauma that emanates from witnessing parents fight over property and the custody of children leads to poor coping (Espejo 49). Adversarial divorce processes exacerbate the stress that children experience as parents focus on dealing with their emotional pain (D’Onofrio and Emery 101). The propensity for one of the partners to seek revenge for wrongs done creates a sense of helplessness in the children.
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Children of divorced parents are highly prone to conduct disorders, delinquency, and impulsive behaviors when compared to children from stable families. The marital conflict involved in the majority of divorce proceedings, challenges the children’s social competence. Divorce means that the children experience less affection, less attention, and less responsiveness from parents (Dohaney 21). Moreover, the parents are more inclined to punish their children as a way of expressing their disappointment and anger, thus making them emotionally apprehensive. Studies have shown that children who come from broken homes have a higher risk of becoming irritable and aggressive than children from stable homes (Dohaney 21). The inability to cope with divorce could lead to behaviors like fighting, stealing, and drug abuse as ways to mi
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